Secrets Of The Kingdom (Part 1)

Matthew [13:11] NRSV says “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Have these secrets passed been down to us? Who knows them? And why haven’t they been made known to others? Have you ever thought about this? What are these secrets that the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew, Mark [4:11] and Luke [8:10] to include in scripture?

Matthew refers to this kingdom as the ‘kingdom of heaven’, the rest of the writers of the New Testament refer to it as the ‘kingdom of God’. They are both one and the same. What is this kingdom all about? Most people know that the Bible talks about Jesus reigning in His kingdom with His people and that is what we think the kingdom is all about. Even the Jews were then and today are still well versed with the many prophecies about God establishing His kingdom. If so, then isn’t it just a matter of time for this to happen? What secrets can there be about this kingdom that would benefit us now in this present age and life? Why can we not live life the way we want to (of course in a responsible and godly way) and deal with the kingdom of God whenever it comes? Why is it important to know about it right now?

Have you had these or similar kinds of questions pop up in your head? [Luke 18:17] NKJV says “Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” This verse shows us that every person has the opportunity of receiving the kingdom of God, If they are willing to come to the level of a child and receive it, they enter, if not, then they do not enter.

I hope the above reflection has caused you to think a little about the kingdom of God. Take a while right now to ponder on the above verses for a while. These words weren’t just included in the Bible to fill up the pages, but they have great significance not only in the life to come, but also in our very present day and age. So let us take a closer look at what all this means for us and how does it affect us.

One of the most common problems in the world not only during the time of Jesus but also today is that our daily life is filled with worry and anxiety of our various needs being met. In today’s world, we are either worried about getting the right job, the right amount of money or right clothing, getting the right spouse , the right house, the right people or friends to be with, getting children or getting them to be responsible enough or the right education for them and so on and so forth. At every stage of our life, we have things to be going after, there is never a moment when we do not seek anything and are just content with what we have. Being well aware of this situation, Jesus taught us not to worry.[Matthew 6:25] NKJV says “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

Our heavenly Father knows our needs and is more than willing to provide us all these things but the most important thing for us to remember is what Jesus tells us in [Matthew 6:33] NKJV “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” Notice that Jesus made seeking the kingdom of God a priority and along with that he also added that we ought to seek ‘His’ righteousness (Please read my article ‘The Righteousness Of God’), in this article we will look at what God’s kingdom is all about, so I will not cover God’s righteousness, but just to mention in passing, the Pharisees, chief-priests and scribes were the most righteous people living during Jesus’ time, yet Jesus mentions in [Matthew 5:20] NRSV“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”).